


Simon Says (You're a Real Vibe Killer)

by FightmeTM



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Basically I watched the trailer for Simon Says and this popped into my head, M/M, Markhyuck are whipped, Simon Says MV, Very Minor Character Death, idk what to tell you
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-14
Updated: 2019-03-15
Packaged: 2019-11-18 03:42:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 16,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18112571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FightmeTM/pseuds/FightmeTM
Summary: Donghyuck had gotten sick and tired of Sicheng and his cronies always treating the team like shit, and he'd be damned if he let him get away with it. So when he finally conspires to bring him down he's faced with a problem. A problem that had dimples and a soft giggle that he couldn't really seem to stay away from.Aka the NCT 127 Heist fic that nobody asked for.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been so busy with school and work and being the president of my organization that I literally started this months ago. But I finally finished it, and I hope everyone enjoys. 
> 
> You can find me on twitter crying over Donghyuck everyday --> @Tiredgaytaetae

Donghyuck sighed as he watched the other boys bicker from across the room for the fifth time in the last hour. Nobody could quite agree about the exact details of the heist and if Donghyuck had to listen to Yuta and Johnny argue one more time about whether or not Yuta could accompany Sicheng into the mansion they were trying to rob, he was gonna lose his mind.

“I’m telling you Yuta, Lee Soo-man will notice something is off if you’re following Sicheng around everywhere! He’s supposed to be posing as a CEO of a small tech company, he wouldn’t need a bodyguard!” Johnny huffed, slapping his hands down on the table next to Hyuck. About two weeks ago that would’ve made Donghyuck jump, but now he just stays completely still, rolling his eyes at the heated expression Yuta was making. 

“I could pose as his boyfriend!” Yuta said, crossing his arms. 

“No,” Sicheng said from the couch, his eyes glued to a book. He didn’t even look up when Yuta whined, clearly defeated. It was rare for somebody to go against Johnny, though Yuta usually persisted, but nobody ever went against Sicheng’s decisions. As the saying goes, you don’t bite the hand that feeds you.

“Well, what about-“ Yuta began, about to go on another tirade, most likely about Sicheng again, when Donghyuck slammed his fist on the table. 

“Enough! You’ve all been bickering for the past hour and I’m sick of it, why can’t you all just grow up and talk about this like adults?” Hyuck said, staring determinedly at the wall in front of him. He didn’t want to look at the rest of the group, he knew they wouldn’t take him seriously but he couldn’t take it any longer. Maybe for once they’d listen to him, and take a fucking breather. 

“That’s rich coming from the youngest, least mature, of the group,” Yuta said, and Donghyuck could hear the smirk in his voice even though he refused to look at him. Donghyuck had expected a response like that but it didn’t make it hurt any less. Yes, he was the youngest, but that didn’t mean he was stupid. 

“Fine,” Donghyuck shoved his chair back from the table, a screeching sound echoing throughout the den. They already had the plan in place and there wasn’t anything left for him to stay for. He knew it was rude to leave the meeting before everything had gotten done but his role was established and he couldn’t take anymore fighting. It was just exhausting.

“Hyuck, wait,” Mark called as Hyuck strode towards the door. But he didn’t care. He wanted to go home. He and Mark had just met a couple of weeks ago but he was starting to consider Mark as one of his closest friends. And even though he didn’t want to leave the other boy behind he just wanted to be gone. 

So Hyuck pulled open the thick medal door of the warehouse and strode out, leaving the petty discussions, and Mark, behind.

\--

The Plan

Sicheng, the leader of the group and the mastermind behind all of the plans, had come up with a new scheme to get the group money. It was always a casual call to each member, asking if they needed a job, and being the criminals they all were, they always said yes. 

The crew was made up of different people each time. Sometimes they repeated sometimes they were new, it all depended on the job and how much Sicheng could rely on the new recruits. Sometimes they ended up staying in the inner circle, sometimes the ended up dead. It all really depended on Sicheng’s mood. 

This job was a bit different from other jobs though. Usually it was a bank, or a casino that they robbed. This time Sicheng set his sights on a very rich businessman, the man who owned a major Korean entertainment company in Seoul. This owner was none other than the famous Lee Soo-man, the owner of SM entertainment. He was one the richest men in Seoul which made him a perfect target to rob. The plan was simple. 

Johnny, being the multilingual legend that he was, would find a way to become close with the hit and invite friends to the lavish parties that Lee would throw on a weekly basis. After that it was Jungwoo’s job to get close to Lee and get information out of him. Maybe get him drunk one night and get him to spill the secrets about his personal life and bank account. Jungwoo would also have an accomplice, Sicheng, who would make Jungwoo seem like a standup guy, and corroborate all of his stories. 

Then it was time to stage the heist. Taeil, the computer tech and ingenious hacker, would wait on standby for Taeyong to sneak into the mansion and hook him up to the mainframe, armed with the knowledge Jungwoo provided. He would connect Taeil to the server and wait for the information to upload. Taeil would then hack into the system and drain the entire bank account, allowing Doyoung to count the money and put it into secret accounts, split up between the ten of them. 

After the whole ordeal Jaehyun will be waiting in a car outside the gates of the mansion to whisk the boys away and drive them off to a private airport to get the hell out of dodge with their money.

Mark and Donghyuck, well, they were in charge of the hardest part of the job. They were the distraction.

Sicheng couldn’t just rely on himself and Jungwoo to keep Lee Soo-man distracted. They needed a huge event to keep the rich man and his security occupied. That’s where Mark and Donghyuck came into play. They would stage a huge fight in the middle of the party, with yelling and screaming and as much chaos as they could manage. And that shouldn’t be hard considering how much they tend to bicker when they were together. 

After Mark and Hyuck finished their fight it will have given Taeyong enough time to get in and get out, having secured the money for the ten of them. After that, one by one, those who were attending the party would pay their dues to Soo-man and take off, hopping in the van and setting off for a plane headed to another country.

The plan was flawless. 

Or at least, Sicheng thought it was.


	2. Chapter 2

“I’m so sick and tired of all the bickering and all the fucking disrespect,” Hyuck whined to Doyoung. The two boys were sitting together at the park down the street, sipping coffee and complaining about how ridiculous the whole operation was. They both knew it would work and that once it was over they could all go their separate ways, but it didn’t make the month or so of planning any less frustrating. 

“I just don’t understand why everybody needs to be at each other’s throats all the fucking time,” Doyoung said, taking another sip of his coffee, “And why do so many of them treat us like shit? And I don’t even mean you and me. Do you see how they treat Jungwoo? It’s fucking despicable, he never did anything to them.”

“That’s what I’m talking about! Don’t ask us to come into this operation and treat us like shit! We’re just as important to this team as the rest of them!” Donghyuck said, feeling his face start to heat up. It wasn’t fair that everybody else was treated with the upmost respect when the rest of the team was being treated like garbage. Yes, they would get paid at the end of it all, but was it really worth it if they had to endure this bullshit all the time?

“I guess we just have to stick it out, it’s a lot of money, after all,” Doyoung sighed, looking out at the park wistfully. 

To be truthful, Donghyuck had been thinking a lot lately. Which, yes, was a surprise. The money they were making off this heist was a lot, and he knew that, but Donghyuck had participated in plenty of heists worth so much more. If the payroll was cut in half he and Doyoung would really be getting their money’s worth for the ridiculousness and risk they had to go through to make this job happen. 

So, yeah, Donghyuck had been thinking lately. And he wasn’t as stupid as the others would like to believe. He considered himself the next Sicheng, being able to come up with new plans like the back of his hand. He knew how to manipulate people and how to make them do what he wanted without much prompting. As long as everybody continued to think he was an idiot, he could make subtle suggestions to get them to do his bidding.

Which is why Hyuck said what he said next. 

“What if we rob Sicheng?”

“WHAT?” Doyoung choked on his coffee, and took a moment to recover before turning to Hyuck. “Are you out of your MIND? Robbing Sicheng is the biggest mistake you could ever make. Do you not realize you could end up DEAD?”

“I mean, yeah. But honestly I’ve been thinking about it and I think I have a plan that could work.”

“What plan is this exactly? If it ends up with me dead, I really want no part in it,” Doyoung glanced hesitantly at Hyuck. 

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it all under control.”


	3. Chapter 3

“Hyuckie, can you PLEASE shut your mouth when you’re eating, can you PLEASE,” Mark said, averting his eyes when Donghyuck began to chew even wider, exposing his mouth full of food to him. 

“Awh, gross,” Mark mumbled from across the counter. Hyuck just happily swallowed his food and wiped a hand exaggeratedly across his mouth. What Mark wanted, mark didn’t get. This was Hyuck’s house; he’d eat however he wanted to. 

“Listen, if you didn’t spend so much time staring at my mouth maybe you wouldn’t even notice when I chewed with my mouth open,” Donghyuck suggested, taking a casual sip of his coffee while mark choked on his eggs. Hyuck loved the way Mark would get so flustered every time he flirted with him. His face would turn red and he’d stutter over his words, leaving Donghyuck with the upper hand as well as a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth.

“I do NOT,” Mark finally said once he managed to swallow his food correctly. 

“Whatever you say babe.”

Donghyuck and Mark had struck up a strange relationship in the past three weeks that they had gotten to know each other. Half the time they’d be bickering and complaining about one another, yelling about how they were infuriating and couldn’t act their age. But the other half of the time was spent laughing and hanging out, so much so that Mark and Hyuck had begun to spend time together outside of ‘work,’ which included their tri-weekly breakfasts together. 

Hyuck would never admit it out loud but Mark was cute. And not in like a, oh Mark your dimples look so cute, kind of way. More like a, oh Mark I really hate when you laugh at my dumb jokes because it makes my heart flutter, kind of way.

It was becoming more and more distressing as the days went by because Donghyuck didn’t like people. I mean yes, he liked people, he liked having friends and being apart of their lives, but he’d be damned if he ever let himself fall in love. It was a hard thing to maintain when you were in his line of work. He was gone half the time on jobs and he could be arrested at any moment, which means whoever he was with couldn’t know what he did or what his life really was. Not that anybody would ever want to date a criminal, but even if they did it would be extremely dangerous. 

If you crossed Sicheng, you were dead. If you had a dangerous job and got caught, you were dead. If you were caught and somebody needed leverage well, it was better to not have people you loved in your life.

Which is why Hyuck had decided against having someone be with him. No matter how much it hurt. He wouldn’t risk the life of someone else just because he wanted to have someone sleep next to him at night. And that included someone in his line of work. Even if they knew the risks, Donghyuck couldn’t bare the thought of someone he cared about getting hurt.

So yeah, mark was cute; even when he said stupid things and tended to shy away from all of Hyuck’s attempts at skinship. He was sweet and caring and so NOT what you’d expect from a seasoned criminal. But when he needed to be serious he took on the most intense demeanor and focused solely on what needed to get done. He always executed it flawlessly and in that moment it took all of Hyuck’s willpower to not jump him on sight.

Fucking Mark Lee and his damn face and laugh and… everything.

But Hyuck would be damned if he ever let himself fall in love. Which is why whenever Mark overwhelmed him and made his heart go boom boom, Hyuck would slyly change the subject or use sarcasm to keep his feelings at bay. It was the best he could do, and it just got harder every day.

“You ready to go?” Mark called from Hyuck’s living room, having gone to grab his bag for work. 

“Yeah,” He replied, taking the last swig of his coffee before following Mark to the front door. He would never admit it, but Mark was cute. And sometimes, in moments like these, he really wanted to say it out loud.


	4. Chapter 4

“If we want to do this right we need a team.”

Donghyuck sighed and leaned back in his chair. The coffee shop was bustling around them but nobody paid attention to the two men sitting in the corner, planning a heist of a heist. Hyuck and Doyoung had begun to plan their own way to rob Sicheng during this job but it was getting difficult to conceive of what to do between the two of them.

Even though Doyoung was good at math and secretly encoding documents to transfer money, that wasn’t the only skill they needed. Donghyuck was great at distractions and getting people to keep their eyes on him but it’s not like he could fool the people he was working with that easily. It just wasn’t plausible. 

“So who do we recruit then? We can’t just start slinking around with new people, Sicheng will know something is up and drop us like that,” Hyuck snapped his fingers for emphasis. Crossing Sicheng was scary, and getting CAUGHT crossing Sicheng was deadly.

“What if we recruit people who are already in the operation?” Doyoung suggested, tapping his fingers anxiously on the table in front of him.

“I mean, who could we even recruit? Who wouldn’t sell us out to Sicheng immediately? You know how loyal everybody is,” Hyuck sighed.

“I don’t know…”

“WAIT,” Doyoung sat up suddenly after a few moments of silence had passed. Hyuck slowly sat up, staring at his face as he watched the gears begin to turn in his head.

“What?” Hyuck asked, “Who do you have in mind? Please don’t say Mark, he’s too pure to take part in this.”

“Taeil,” Doyoung said, a smile spreading across his face slowly.

“Taeil?”

“Taeil.”

“How do you know he won’t snitch? That he’s reliable?” Donghyuck questioned, though he could see where Doyoung was coming from.

Taeil seemed mysterious when you first met him. He was quiet and reserved and never spoke much at meetings. He always confirmed what he needed to do and followed through flawlessly, barely blinking an eye in the process. When everybody went around and talked about why they needed the money or what their motivation’s were, Taeil always said he just wanted the money and that he needed to pay rent. Nobody knew a lot about him, but what they did know was that he was in it for the money, always for the money.

“You know how he is, he doesn’t give a fuck about Sicheng, or anybody for that matter and if he can get a bigger cut he’ll take it. Also I’ve been hearing that he wants to retire soon, this might be his last job. So if he gets more than what he needs to retire I think he might just do it,” Doyoung said, compelling Donghyuck to understand.

Hyuck sat in silence for a few moments, thinking about whether or not it was worth the risk. He knew it would be dangerous to bring more people into the operation but there was no way they were doing it alone. It would be impossible without help.

“Okay.”

“Okay?” Doyoung blinked at him, clearly not expecting him to reciprocate so quickly, not without a fight. Fighting about things tended to be Donghyuck’s style. But never about work, this plan was too serious to be causing difficulties just for a joke.

“Okay, we’ll talk to Taeil and see if he’ll help us. But if something goes south just know I’m throwing you to the dogs and taking off by myself,” Hyuck said, an evil glint in his eyes. Doyoung didn’t like the sound of that, but at this point they had no other choice. Even though Doyoung was unsure of if Taeil would join, he was willing to risk it for the money.

And even though Hyuck acted like it was a huge threat to bring more people in, he knew how it would all work out.


	5. Chapter 5

It was one of the few days Hyuck and Mark both had off, due to the fact that there needed to be a more technical discussion between the IT guys of the group. Doyoung, Taeil, Taeyong and Sicheng had to go over all the technological aspects of the plan and figure out exactly how it would work. Thus, the rest of the team were free to have a weekend off.

Mark was sprawled across Hyuck’s bed, scrolling on his phone, trying to ignore the way his pulse sped up every time Hyuck’s head shifted in his lap. Mark had been trying to ignore his strange feelings toward the other boy for weeks now. The way his face would heat up every time Hyuck would offhandedly flirt, or the way his heart beat quicker than usual at each touch. He didn’t want to acknowledge his feelings, though he knew they were there, he just wanted to be with Hyuck. He wanted his life to remain as uncomplicated as possible. He was already a professional criminal, he didn’t need any other problems making his life harder.

Still, that didn’t mean his feelings would just go away. And he knew that. But he couldn’t stop himself from spending more and more time with his new friend. Deep down he knew that he should stop, and he should try and detach himself from the situation, but no matter how much he tried he couldn’t pry himself from Donghyuck’s grip. Both literally and figuratively. 

“Maaaark,” Hyuck moaned, his hands coming up to grip at Mark’s thighs tightly. Mark bit his lip, trying to will his fluttering heart to calm down before he spoke and embarrassed himself. 

“Mmm?” he responded, not trusting his voice. 

“Pay attention to me! You’ve been on your phone for the last hour!” He whined. And when Mark risked a look down he wasn’t sure if he should’ve. Hyuck was blinking softly up at him, his eyelashes brushing against his smooth skin SO nicely, and his lips set in a delicate pout.

“Well, uh,” Mark said, averting his eyes and trying desperately to not stare, “you’ve been on your phone too.” 

“Not a good enough excuse,” Hyuck sat up quickly, putting his chin in his hands. Mark would be lying if he said he didn’t miss the warmth on his lap. 

“What do you want me to do then?” Mark feigned annoyance but he couldn’t stop the grin pulling at the edge of his lips. 

“Entertain me!”

“And how am I supposed to do that?”

“I don’t know, you’re the second smartest person here, think of something!” Hyuck whined, rolling over onto his back to stare at the ceiling. 

“Well, we could go to the movies?” Mark suggested lamely. He really wasn’t sure what the other boy wanted but a movie was classic, and maybe if it was a horror it would give Mark a reason to lean up against the other boy. Not that he wanted that, or thought about leaning up against Donghyuck regularly. Not at all. 

“Hmm. Only if I get to choose the movie!” Hyuck smiled, rolling again, this time off the bed, reaching over to grab his shoes. 

“What makes you think you can pick the movie? I’m sure I’m going to end up paying for it anyway,” Mark laughed, watching Donghyuck struggle to put on his shoes. 

“Ugh, if you’re gonna act like a baby then FINE, I’ll pay for it, AND I get to pick the movie!” Hyuck said, chucking Mark’s Vans at his head and snorting when he managed to only dodge one. 

“Hyuck you’re actually the devil,” Mark complained, rubbing at the sore spot on his head. 

“You know it, babe,” Hyuck grinned as he leaned quickly across the bed to peck Mark’s cheek. And for what seemed like the millionth time that day, Mark’s face turned a faint shade of pink.

Mark ended up paying for the movie, and if he and Hyuck held hands the whole time, well, it was nobody’s business but his own.


	6. Chapter 6

“So that’s pretty much all we have mapped out so far,” Doyoung breathed, his hands fidgeting with the napkin in front of him. 

Donghyuck had been fairly silent throughout the whole ordeal. Taeil had agreed to come out and meet with Doyoung and Hyuck, even though he had pretty strict rules about fraternizing outside of work. He didn’t want or need to make friends with his coworkers, but Taeil was curious when he got the call from Doyoung asking to meet for ‘business’. He had asked Doyoung if this business meeting had anything to do with the job and when Doyoung responded with a hesitant ‘no, but yes’ Taeil was fascinated. 

And when Doyoung asked him not to mention the meeting to Sicheng or anyone else, Taeil knew that his rule about talking to coworkers outside of work was out the window. Whatever they wanted, Taeil knew that he’d regret it if he passed it up.

What Taeil didn’t expect was a silent and pensive Donghyuck to be sitting there, letting Doyoung explain everything. 

Taeil sat quietly, and intently listened to each word coming out of Doyoung’s mouth. But every time his eyes would wander over to Donghyuck, he got a strange feeling in his chest. Donghyuck usually wasn’t this silent, or docile. If they were the only ones involved, and Doyoung was obviously nervous about even presenting the plan, Hyuck must’ve been the one to come up with it. Doyoung would never be this nervous about his own plans, he was too confident. 

Taeil wasn’t sure how the idea of following a teenage boy’s plan sat with him but the idea of more money was truly tempting.   
“So, you want me to help hack into the system and transfer the money over to a secure server that Sicheng can’t access?” Taeil questioned in an even voice, “That’s all?”

“I-I mean, yeah, you basically have the same job, but are sending it to a different person,” Doyoung stuttered out, still scared that Taeil might betray them.

“And you can ensure that Sicheng and the others will be locked away before they even know what happened?” Taeil said, in the same tone. Donghyuck could almost see the sweat forming on Doyoung’s brow, he was too nervous to be doing all this on his own. Hyuck mentally sighed and spoke up. 

“Yes,” Donghyuck replied, voice strong and sure. Even if Doyoung had his doubts, Hyuck didn’t. He knew without a shred of doubt it would work. 

“Ah, so he speaks,” Taeil said, his eyes flitting over to Donghyuck with curiosity.

“Yes I speak. I can also assure you that this design is flawless. As long as we all stick to the plan and stay together, there is no way this can go wrong,” Hyuck tried to match the calm certainty that he had heard Sicheng use a million times when convincing someone to join. After all, it was the same tone that he had used to convince not only Hyuck, but at some point, Taeil too. 

“And you’re the one who came up with it,” There was no question in Taeil’s response. He was as sharp as a knife and his quiet persona only served him well in being able to read people by observation alone. 

“Yes,” Hyuck answered, “problem with that?”

“Not at all. I just wouldn’t have expected such a sweet boy to be capable of betraying those close to him like this,” Taeil said, taking a sip of his tea. 

“Who said I’m close with all of you?” Hyuck smiled sweetly, eyelashes blinking at Taeil with as much honey as he could muster.

“I wasn’t talking about the group,”

Hyuck’s heart plummeted as Mark’s face flashed across his mind. 

“It’s fine, I’m in it for the money, and the respect. It doesn’t really matter what happens. Besides, those who are innocent will get off. And none of us are innocent, so whose fault is it really if they get sent away?” Donghyuck tried to keep his voice steady as he lied to Taeil. 

“Whatever you say Donghyuck,” Taeil said, but Hyuck could see in his eyes that he didn’t believe him. As steady and calm as Taeil always sounded, you could always see the truth reflected in his eyes. 

“So,” Doyoung said, clearing his throat, “are you in?”

Taeil sipped at his tea thoughtfully for a moment before sizing up the two conspiring traitors before him. 

“Yeah.”

And then there were three.


	7. Chapter 7

Donghyuck hadn’t mean to cry, he really hadn’t. Normally he could hold himself together pretty easily, acting as if nothing and nobody could bother him. And that’s what other people thought of him, they thought that he was unbreakable, his face impassive though his temper was easily triggered. 

But when the door closed and Donghyuck was alone, he let himself slip out of the stoic expression he plastered on for others and waited for the tears to come. He looked strong to others but sometimes, a lot of the time, he felt like he was made of glass.

Which is why he found himself abruptly standing up in the den after a particularly brutal meeting and rushing up the stairs of the warehouse, tears pricking at the edges of his eyes. He knew after last time he wouldn’t be able to just leave the meeting halfway through, Sicheng had made that clear to him afterwards. “You can’t just leave Donghyuck, no matter how ridiculous you may think it is, you have to be there,” he’d said over the phone, voice monotone but still incredibly threatening. Donghyuck had just agreed with him, trying to keep venom out of his voice. 

But Sicheng wasn’t here this time, and though Donghyuck didn’t dare go home, he could at least take a moment to calm himself down on the roof of this godforsaken place. 

The meetings were usually difficult to get through, whether it was the constant bickering or harsh words being flung at Donghyuck whenever he so much as SPOKE, but this time it was different. Something about the way Johnny kept cutting Hyuck off and the way Yuta would condescendingly mock him at every turn made his skin crawl. It really made him feel like less than, when he knew rationally he wasn’t. 

The final straw was when Mark had suggested that Donghyuck introduce himself and Mark to Lee-Sooman instead of the other way around, commenting that the other boy could be much more charming and was more experienced. Johnny just snorted and said “Donghyuck? Charming? I don’t know what kind of spell he’s got you under, kid, but the only person who’d think Donghyuck is charming is his mom.” 

And yeah, it was a stupid joke. But it really struck Donghyuck’s heart hard with the mention of his mother. 

So without any words exchanged, and tears beginning to fill his eyes, Donghyuck stood up quickly and headed up the stairs, taking them two at a time as he escaped. He could feel Mark’s eyes on his back the whole way. 

It wasn’t until he was perched on the metal staircase leading up to the roof that he let himself cry. His shoulders racked with silent sobs and he pressed his hands against his face, trying to muffle any sounds that might threaten to escape. The cold wind whipped his hair around and bit at the exposed skin of his arms, but Donghyuck couldn’t bring himself to care. 

As much as Hyuck hated to admit it, it really wasn’t Johnny’s fault for making him cry. He couldn’t have known what he was saying. Yes, they were all hardened criminals but that didn’t mean they didn’t have families. At least, most of them did. 

Donghyuck’s mother had been the only good thing in his life. And when Hyuck turned to a life of crime he knew his mother would find out. But even when she eventually did, she still loved him. She had been disappointed and upset with his line of work, sure, but she never stopped loving him and supporting him. 

It was Hyuck’s fault that she was gone. 

He had always had a fear of losing those he loved due to his job, and for good reason. His line of work was dangerous, and he had to learn that the hard way. 

After Donghyuck had finished a particularly risky job a couple of years ago he had returned home the next day, his pockets filled with cash, to find his front lawn lined with police cars and an ambulance. His first thought was that someone had ratted him out and that they were there to take him away, but everything stopped when he saw his mother being wheeled away on a stretcher, her eyes barely open, blood everywhere. 

He forgot about everything else. He didn’t care who saw him as he dashed out of his car and shoved through the crowd of neighbors to get to the only person in his life who had ever mattered. 

When he reached the ambulance and hopped in beside his mother she could barely breathe. The EMTs were doing their best to try and keep her alive but it was clear that she didn’t have much time left. And as she used the rest of her strength to grab onto Donghyuck’s hand, he knew it was her way of saying goodbye. He could see the love for himself in her eyes as they looked at each other, and before he could choke out a final “I love you,” her eyes slipped closed and her hand fell away from his own.

She was pronounced dead shortly after they arrived at the hospital and as the doctor’s were giving him their condolences and handing him paperwork to fill out the only thing that Donghyuck could think about was how even in her last moments, his mother was still trying to tell him how much she loved him. Even though he was the reason she was gone, he still knew that she loved him. 

He wasn’t sure what would hurt more. Knowing she hated him in her last moments or that despite it all, she could never bring herself to have anything less than pure love for her only child. 

The police took a statement from Donghyuck later on, and though Donghyuck knew who was involved, he couldn’t say anything, not without implicating himself. 

So from that day on Donghyuck had promised himself that he would never let anyone else into his life, and that he would never let anyone else he loved get hurt because of him. He had already lost his mother, he couldn’t lose anyone else. 

But as Donghyuck felt soft arms wrap around him and a warm nose nestle itself into his neck he wasn’t sure if he would be able to keep that promise. Despite the harsh wind that was blowing against the two, Hyuck could smell the comforting scent that he’d come to associate with Mark, and it brought on a fresh wave of tears. 

Mark didn’t say anything as Hyuck turned to the older boy and buried himself in his chest. He didn’t say anything as Donghyuck kept murmuring broken apologies into his hoodie. And he didn’t say anything when Donghyuck told him that he was the only person he could trust. 

Donghyuck was thankful for that. Mark knew that the ramblings were those of a distraught and out of his senses Donghyuck, and he let him mumble those confessions and apologies, knowing that the time for asking questions was not now. If Donghyuck wanted to tell him what was wrong, he would, but for now, Mark wouldn’t push. 

And after what seemed like hours, when Donghyuck finally calmed down and pulled himself away from Mark, the two just sat back and looked at each other. Mark’s hand came up to wipe away the stray tears that were falling down Hyuck’s face and that almost caused a whole other wave of tears to flow.

Donghyuck didn’t deserve someone like Mark. Mark deserved so much more. 

But as Donghyuck made a move to leave he found himself instinctually pulling Mark in again, his face burrowing against his neck. He wasn’t sure what it was about Mark that made all his common sense fly out the window, but with him around, Donghyuck found himself incapable of controlling himself. 

“Thank you,” Hyuck whispered into Mark’s skin. He wasn’t sure if the other boy could hear him over the howling wind but he didn’t care. If Mark couldn’t hear it, it didn’t matter, because he knew the other boy could tell either way. 

“Hyuck,” Mark said, pulling away and placing his hands softly over Hyuck’s cheeks, “I know you think you have to go through everything alone, but I’m here, I’ll always be here.”

“I- I-“Hyuck’s voice was wrecked from all the crying and he couldn’t find the words to respond to him. He didn’t know how. 

“It’s okay, Hyuck, it’s gonna be okay,” Mark leaned their foreheads together and they stayed like that. 

When Hyuck finally got home later that night, after walking the whole way in silence, Mark’s hand clasped in his own, he crashed into bed immediately. 

His thoughts were still swirling around in his head and he couldn’t stop thinking about Mark. His eyes, his smile, his laugh, and mostly the way that he cared about Hyuck more than anyone had in a long time. When Mark had looked at him on the roof, he had seen the warm embrace in his eyes, and it scared him. It scared him to think that anyone could care about him that much. The last time someone cared that much for him he had watched her die right in front of him. 

And as Hyuck fell asleep to thoughts about Mark, he knew, deep inside, that his promise to himself, was broken.


	8. Chapter 8

The day of the job was approaching quickly, and as much as Donghyuck hated to admit it, trying to pull off a secret heist with only three people was becoming more and more difficult. The first hitch in the plan had come when the three realized they’d have to find their own get away driver or their own car. And somehow getting a car to the venue secretly would be difficult and getting Sicheng to agree on another car coming to pick them up would be dangerous. Not to mention that they weren’t sure how they’d be able to contact authorities about the rest of the group before they had the chance to get away. None of them would have the time to do so AND run before the cops questioned them as well. 

Taeil and Doyoung sat across from Hyuck at the same coffee shop they met at every week as they tried desperately to devise a way to complete their plan. They had been tucked away in an abandoned corner of the shop for two hours before Doyoung groaned loudly and slammed his head on the table. 

“And here I thought that I was supposed to be the dramatic one,” Donghyuck said, his voice bored and monotone. They needed a new and improved plan, but they lacked the people and they lacked the ability to pull it off. 

“We aren’t going to be able to pull this off without more people helping us, and the time to recruit someone new is drawing thin,” Taeil said, voice low and serious. Hyuck bit his lip anxiously and thought in silence for a moment before opening his mouth to speak.

“Well what if we-“but before Hyuck could get his idea out Doyoung’s eyes widened at something behind him and a hand slapped against his mouth, effectively silencing him. 

“Doyoung what the hell?” Hyuck mumbled against his hand. Both Doyoung and Taeil were looking at something past him and they had horrified expressions on their faces. And though Doyoung did get jumpy extremely easily, it was rare to see any kind of uneasiness on Taeil’s face.

Before Donghyuck even had a chance to turn around a voice from behind him spoke. 

“Mind if I sit down, boys?”

Hyuck whipped around so fast someone could’ve blinked and missed it. 

“Jung Jaehyun?” 

“Present,” Jaehyun said, sliding into the chair next to Donghyuck. Hyuck peeled his eyes slowly from Jaehyun to look at the other two boys, their faces struck with fear. He could almost see the fight or flight response gearing up in Doyoung’s body; he was ready to run. But the moment they locked eyes he could see Doyoung settle into his chair a bit more, as if to say “okay, I trust you, Hyuck.”

“What can we do for you on this fine Thursday morning?” Donghyuck’s voice chirped, even and inviting. Jaehyun raised an eyebrow at him, a small grin pulling at the corners of his mouth. 

“I know,” is all he said. 

“You know what?” Donghyuck said, blinking his eyes sweetly at the elder. From across the table he could almost feel Doyoung’s heart plummeting into his stomach. The poor dude was gonna have a heart attack in the next five seconds if Jaehyun didn’t explain what was going on. 

“I know that you’re planning a coup,” Jaehyun said slowly, surveying each of their expressions, “and I want in.”

\--

The next hour went by something like this. Jaehyun explained to them that he had also grown tired of the games and the fighting and the way that they had all been treated. Not just at this job but with every other job they had ever worked. He wanted out, and he wanted to do away with Sicheng’s reign of terror. 

He also went on to explain how he wanted to include Jungwoo. After a couple of protests and confusion he explained that if anyone would be willing to destroy Sicheng, it would be him. 

A couple of months prior to this operation Sicheng had had the love of Jungwoo’s life, Lucas, murdered. Simply because Jungwoo had wanted out of this life and had wanted to settle down and get married, have a family. He wanted to stay out of danger and live a relatively normal life. But because Jungwoo was one of the best men that Sicheng had ever recruited, he couldn’t let that happen. 

So after leaving a late night of work and receiving a phone call from a solemn hospital worker about his best friend’s death he decided that he would get revenge, at any cost. 

After hearing this, the other three boys agreed, though cautiously. They weren’t sure if they could completely trust the two other men just yet, but if they accepted Jaehyun they automatically had a getaway driver, and they had another person on board who would be able to contact authorities and distract the other members when the plan was in motion.

So, in the end, even though it made Doyoung extremely nervous, they all agreed to work together for the sake of the money, and revenge. 

Later that evening when the whole group gathered together to iron out the plan, they all had smiles plastered to their faces and laughs could be heard from across the shop. Most people who walked in would just assume the group was just having a fun time over a couple of lattes and some notes, maybe they were college students preparing for an exam. Who would expect them to be planning a sabotage against one of the most dangerous men in Seoul? 

Jaehyun and Jungwoo ended up becoming a good addition to the group, and even though they were all a bit wary of each other at first, by the end of the night they all considered themselves friends. Bonding over how terrible their boss and coworkers were ended up being incredibly therapeutic. It almost felt like they were just average guys for a bit, and not scary criminals hell-bent on getting a murderer and his cronies arrested and stealing millions of dollars. 

As Donghyuck waved goodbye to each of the guys at the end of the night his heart felt lighter than it had in a long time. They had finished the plan in its entirety and had left with what felt like an almost unbreakable bond between them all. Everything was going exactly as Donghyuck had wanted it to, almost better than he had expected. 

Hyuck sat on a bench outside the coffee shop and watched the other boys walk away from him, a grin pulling at the corner of his lips when Jungwoo playfully tripped Doyoung. It was all finally falling into place.


	9. Chapter 9

It was a week before the heist was supposed to go down. Johnny and Jungwoo had been visiting Lee Soo-man for almost a month now, on and off, and they were together again today, trying to get his approval to come to the huge party he was planning for the next weekend. 

They had been slowly worming their way into the CEO’s life, and though Johnny had gotten Jungwoo preliminary access to the man, Soo-man had taken a liking to Johnny as well, so it was rare to see Jungwoo visiting without Johnny. Though, Jungwoo almost begged Johnny to come with him every time now, since the CEO had begun to get a little bit too touchy with him whenever they were alone together. 

“I mean, honestly, the man is MARRIED, he has two kids and another on the way! Doesn’t he have any semblance of decency?” Jungwoo had moaned over lunch with Donghyuck. Hyuck had just raised his shoulders and taken a bite of his food. 

“He’s rich, he’s powerful, he thinks he can have whatever he wants. Including you,” Hyuck responded, his mouth filled with sushi. 

“I hope the bastard chokes on his fucking caviar,” Jungwoo mumbled, and Hyuck let out a sharp laugh, before shaking his head and gesturing the waiter over to pay. 

The days seemed as if they were growing shorter and shorter, and Donghyuck barely had time to think about the consequences of the plan he had come up with. Or, alternatively, he didn’t WANT to think about the consequences. He kept trying to find a way to let Mark escape the police without implicating himself or the others but there was no way around it. 

Donghyuck knew, rationally, that if he told Mark his plan that Mark would go straight to Sicheng. Because as much as he knew the other boy cared for him, he also knew that he was unflinchingly loyal. And even if he left Donghyuck out of the whole ordeal and turned everyone else in, Hyuck wouldn’t just leave the group to face Sicheng alone. Especially when it was his idea in the first place.

And as far as getting Mark away from the police, well, there was no way that he’d be able to warn the other boy without tipping him off to the plan. There was no way that he’d be able to talk Mark into coming with him in the middle of the party, and if they left together Sicheng would suspect something was off. Mark would probably lose it anyway, especially if they left the other four behind for the cops to find. 

So, yeah, Donghyuck had been avoiding the thought of Mark behind bars, because he knew that in a week’s time, that’s exactly where he’d be.

With the week he had left with Mark he intended to make the most of it. He was with the other boy almost every day, he would buy all his meals and take every opportunity he could to cling onto the other. Mark was still hesitant around him and would only allow a little bit of affection every day, but on the days that he was tired or happy he and Hyuck would cuddle into each other and stay that way for hours. 

Mark had started to catch onto Hyuck’s swift change in affection and had laughed one day after Donghyuck begged to say over, saying, “It’s not like we’re never gonna see each other again after this job Hyuckie.” Donghyuck had just smiled and shoved Mark’s shoulder, groaning “I know that!” before burying his face into Mark’s duvet. 

Mark had no idea. And just thinking about leaving the other boy behind made Hyuck’s heart constrict, and feel cold. He probably should’ve used this last week to distance himself from Mark but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. The last week they spent together just made Donghyuck fall for him even more than he already had. 

Most of the time they spent the days curled up on the couch, binging whatever stupid anime Mark wanted to watch while stuffing their faces with fast food. But some days they found themselves walking around the city, discovering new places and occasionally holding hands. Mark seemed almost friendly about it, and Donghyuck, even now, wasn’t sure how Mark felt about him. 

Sometimes, when Donghyuck caught Mark staring at him, it felt like the build up to something more. Like Mark was thinking about closing the distance and finally pressing their lips together. But the moment always passed, and Mark blinked away the gleam in his eyes to ask Donghyuck to pass the popcorn.

It was infuriating, but also safe. As much as Hyuck wanted him, and god, did he want him, he was glad that stupid Mark Lee was too scared to make a move. It allowed Hyuck to be able to move on from him when everything was all over, without the knowledge of what it would be like to have Mark be his. Donghyuck wasn’t sure if he had ever wanted someone so much in his whole life like he wanted Mark, and he knew in just a few short days that he would never have the chance to get what he wanted again.

So, it made it easier to just be friends with Mark. To let him grasp his hand and wrap his arms around him. To let him whisper stupid jokes in his ear and tangle their legs together when they decided to spend the night at each other’s houses. It was easier that way, because if Mark never crossed that line, Donghyuck would never know what he was missing and he wouldn’t be able to miss it. 

Except that, he did know what he was gonna miss, he knew it too well. 

The night before the Heist, when Donghyuck turned his back to Mark and walked away, he felt tears prick at his eyes and a familiar pang in his chest. Maybe Mark had never confessed, never kissed him, but it didn’t matter. The late nights and conversations that he’d never hear again would leave him empty when they were gone. And he knew. He knew. 

\--

Later that night, Donghyuck had a nightmare. He was sitting in a chair, unable to move as he watched Sicheng drag Mark by the collar to the edge of a cliff. He tried desperately to scream out to him, to tell him he loved him before it was too late. But the words wouldn’t come out. He tried to tell him with his eyes, but as he watched Sicheng throw Mark over the edge, he wasn’t sure if Mark had understood. 

Donghyuck woke up in a hot sweat, texting Mark a simple ‘goodnight’ and sighing in relief when Mark texted back ‘shut up and go to sleep, fool.’

He closed his eyes and tried not to think about anything as he drifted to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

The day finally came, and Donghyuck tried to busy himself with chores around the house, packing, and making an elaborate lunch for no reason. He called Doyoung to talk about the plans and then called Jungwoo to get tips on what to wear for the party. And then he called Taeil just for the hell of it. Taeil wasn’t sure what was up but he was nice enough to talk to for a bit before he told Hyuck he had to go. 

After that the day was spent ignoring Mark’s texts to hang out for as long as he could before giving in and telling him that they could get ready together later. Hyuck tried his best to pull himself together and try not to panic when he thought about everything laid out for that night. Not only was his extremely dangerous plan about to be put into motion, but there was a chance it wouldn’t work. And not only that, but if it did work Mark would probably hate him. No, scratch that, Mark would DEFINITELY hate him.

Finally, after Hyuck had gotten tired of worrying, he decided to just curl up on his sofa and take a nap to avoid everything plaguing his mind. Not the best coping mechanism, but it was better than nothing.

\--

Hyuck was woken up by a brisk knock to his front door. He slowly peeled his eyes open and glanced around the room, somehow it had gone from completely light out to the sun setting and he wondered to himself how he had managed to sleep that long.

Another knock came and Donghyuck smiled as he heard Mark’s voice moan through the door “Hyuck come ON, we need to get ready! Please don’t tell me you’re asleep.”

Donghyuck shook his head and laughed, padding softly over to the door and opening it as Mark’s hand was preparing to knock again. 

“I’m asleep,” he said, laughing again as Mark shoved him playfully. 

“Shut up, I know how you are. If you aren’t asleep you’re probably planning something sinister,” Mark laughed as he pushed past Hyuck into his apartment. 

“Yeah…” Hyuck responded, hand coming up to rub at his neck, guiltily, as he closed the door. 

“Anyway, did you want to grab something to eat before we meet the guys at the warehouse?” Mark asked from Hyuck’s room. Hyuck slowly entered the room to find Mark already pulling off his shirt, making moves to change into his tux. The theme for the night was Masquerade so the dress had to be elegant and mysterious. 

“Hyuck?” Mark asked again, eyes turning towards the other boy, who may or may not have been too caught up in admiring Mark’s toned chest to respond properly, or at all. 

“Huh?”

“I asked if you wanted to get dinner before the party?” Mark fixed him with a confused look, waiting for him to actually respond to his question. 

“Oh! Yeah, I mean no,” Hyuck stuttered, his face turning red, “I mean, there’ll be food at the party so we probably don’t need to waste money on dinner before hand.”

“Why are you so nervous right now?” Mark asked, finally going back to his clothes. He kicked off his shoes and reached down to pull his sweats off, making Donghyuck blush even harder. Sure they’d changed in the same room before, but usually they were both changing into pajamas and Hyuck was too preoccupied to actually let himself look at Mark. 

This is your last chance to admire him like this though, some traitor in the back of his mind whispered. 

“I’m not nervous, I’ve worked plenty of jobs before. I’m fine,” Hyuck said, pouting a bit as he leaned against his doorframe, watching as Mark, clad only in his underwear, reached over to grab his tux pants. That just made him pout harder. Mark without pants was an image he wanted burned into his retinas forever, and the few seconds he got wasn’t really enough for him.

“Then why are you stuttering so much? You’re barely talking and when you do you look panicked,” Mark commented, pulling his new pants on, and glancing at Hyuck, “unless for some reason you’re nervous about me.”

“WHAT,” Hyuck choked out, eyes finally wrenching themselves from Mark’s movements to make eye contact. And boy, was that a mistake. Mark’s eyes were gleaming with mischief and he wore a smirk on his face that was a bit too confident for Donghyuck’s liking.

“I know I’m stupid sometimes,”

“Sometimes?” Donghyuck mumbled under his breath.

“But I’m not blind Hyuck. If you wanted to see me without pants on you could’ve just asked,” Mark finished, pulling on his nice white button up, but leaving it completely undone. Donghyuck was SURE it was to spite him. Fuck Mark Lee, honestly. 

“Shut the fuck up, you don’t make me nervous,” Hyuck scoffed, trying his best to remain calm. Remain calm, damn it. This is Mark Lee for god’s sake, he was a bumbling nervous wreck like all the time, he couldn’t stay this flirty for long. 

“Really?” Mark said, his lips pulling into a full blown smile as he strode over to Hyuck, trapping him against the wall of his own bedroom with arms stretched out on either side of his head. 

Now this, this was something Hyuck wasn’t expecting. And he always knew what to expect. 

He hadn’t been expecting this version of Mark Lee to walk into his apartment. This confident and flirty Mark Lee. He didn’t expect him to tease him about his staring and he definitely didn’t expect to be shoved against his own wall, Mark leaning his head down so close that their lips were a hair width apart. 

“I don’t make you nervous?” Mark asked, his warm breath fanning across Donghyuck’s face, “this doesn’t make you the slightest bit antsy?”

Hyuck swallowed thickly and found his eyes flitting between Mark’s lips and the small mole on his cheek. He didn’t dare look at Mark’s eyes. He wasn’t sure what he’d find if he looked up, and he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to hold himself back from finally, FINALLY kissing him. 

“You,” Hyuck breathed out, closing his eyes, “don’t make me nervous at all.”

Mark fell silent for a moment and Donghyuck almost opened his eyes to look and see what his expression was. Was he angry? Was he happy? Hyuck had no idea of knowing. The boy Hyuck knew was the stupid blubbering Mark Lee, not this new, suggestive Mark Lee. He had no idea what this new Mark was capable of, and as much as he wanted to know, he knew now wasn’t the time. 

After a few seconds of quiet Hyuck felt a sigh against his face and Mark’s arms removing themselves from where they had migrated down to his waist. Donghyuck let himself open his eyes and tried to calm down his panicky heart as he watched Mark slowly button up his shirt. 

“You make me crazy, Lee Donghyuck,” Mark sighed, turning towards him with a small smile. Hyuck slowly saw as the normal Mark returned and let out a short little laugh as he went to take a seat on the edge of his bed. 

“Honey, it’s a miracle you’re not in a psych ward yet because of me,” Donghyuck joked. Mark’s eyes just sparkled as he let out a giggle at the boy in front of him.

“You’re insane, Hyuck.”

“And you’re preaching to the choir,” Donghyuck just shrugged and stood up to go grab his own clothes. 

As Donghyuck left the room to track down his tie, he missed Mark’s quiet response of “I love you.”


	11. The Heist

The car ride to the party was strangely silent. Each of the men were contemplating how the night would go. They had to all take separate cars as to not alert the security to any strange going ons, so they hailed three Ubers and all piled in. The van, driven by Jaehyun would show up later in the night, right before they were supposed to make their grand escape. Of course, he’d be there a bit earlier to grab the traitors of the group first.

 

Donghyuck and Mark sat thigh to thigh in the back seat of the Uber, Johnny on Mark’s other side and Jungwoo in the front. The two younger boys were posing as family friends of Jungwoo who were interested in the entertainment business and wanted a chance to network at the party.

 

Mark’s eyes glided over to Donghyuck, watching as he played with his own fingers in an unconscious attempt to reduce his anxiety. He reached over and took one of Donghyuck’s hands in his own, threading their fingers together in an effort to help him calm down. Hyuck looked over at Mark with wide eyes for a moment before leaning over to swiftly peck his cheek.

 

“Hey, stop being so cute, you’re supposed to be getting into a fight later, not making out in a dark corner,” Johnny hissed quietly at the two as though to not alert the driver. Not that it mattered. The music on the radio was blasting so loud (Jungwoo  really liked his music, and maybe turning it up to maximum volume in a stranger’s car wasn’t the best idea, but he did it every time) that there was no way the driver would hear them.

 

“Shut up you overgrown clown, we have a solid ten minutes before we even turn onto the main road,” Hyuck spit back, venom in his voice. It was his last night with the asshole, he deserved to get told off. At least once.

 

“How would YOU know?” Johnny said, a sneer in his voice.

 

Donghyuck just narrowed his eyes and pointed angrily at the GPS hooked up to the front dashboard of the car, declaring that in 10 minutes they needed to turn onto the main residential road the mansion was situated on.

 

“…Whatever, Donghyuck,” Johnny grumbled, sitting back in his seat, arms crossed. Hyuck snickered to himself and he felt Mark’s hand squeeze his own, shooting a small smile towards him.

 

They stayed silent for the rest of the car ride and as they pulled up to the huge brightly lit house. It was massive and Grecian and you could hear the party raging inside even before you walked in. Jungwoo thanked the driver and the four boys all gripped onto their masks tightly as they made their way to the door.

 

“You ready?” Mark asked, pulling his white crystallized mask onto his head, locking eyes with Hyuck.

 

“Of course,” Hyuck responded, giving Mark a tight smile.

 

“It’ll work out exactly how it should, Hyuck, don’t worry about it,” Mark gave him one last smile before he pulled the elaborate mask over his face. Donghyuck just nodded his head in agreement and pulled his own decorative gas mask over his face, hoping that Mark wouldn’t read too much into his uneasiness.

 

“Alright, sluts, let’s do this,” Johnny’s muffled voice said through his mask, looping his arm through Jungwoo’s and leading the other two boys towards the door.

 

And so, it began.

 

\--

 

The party was not exactly what Donghyuck had expected, if he had to be honest. It was almost like the met gala combined with a wedding reception. The lights were bright and extravagant, chandeliers hanging all over the place, and there were tall round tables scattered around with idols and actors standing about. Everyone had drinks (read: champagne) in their hands and the dance floor was filled with drunk women and their dates. The bright lights didn’t stop anyone from exhibiting bad behavior though, it was almost the opposite.

 

It was like the spotlight was on them and they wanted people to see as they pressed up against each other and drunkenly stumbled into the furniture. Out back by the pool, people were being shoved into the water and others were finding discrete (read: very, VERY not discrete) places to connect their mouths and grind against each other. Hyuck had assumed all these celebrities would be more careful about showing their debauchery around strangers, but apparently not.

 

After Johnny introduced ‘Haechan’ and ‘Minhyung’ to Lee Soo-man, the two boys ran off to grab their own drinks and blend inconspicuously into the crowd. At least for now.

 

“How the fuck are we supposed to grab the attention of these people? They’re already making a huge ruckus of their own!” Hyuck hissed, pulling his mask up to reveal his face. Mark followed suit and just looked around, trying to figure out what to do.

 

“Honestly, Hyuck-“

 

“It’s Haechan to you,”

 

“Yeah, yeah, okay,” Mark rolled his eyes, “I think we’re just gonna have to go for it.”

 

“What do you mean, go for it?” Donghyuck asked, wary. They had planned to start a fight in the middle of the dance floor, hopefully causing people to watch and crowd around them, but these people might not even blink an eye to a screaming match. There needed to be something more, something scandalous.

 

“I mean, we have to really sell it,” Mark explained, “Like, we can’t just start yelling about spilling a drink or something. It needs to be personal.”

 

“Personal?” Hyuck’s voice went up an octave.

 

“Yeah, like, maybe we aren’t just two friends in a fight, maybe it’s something more,” Mark looked uncomfortable even bringing up the idea but his eyes pleaded with Donghyuck to understand.

 

“Like- like we’re lovers or something?” Hyuck asked quietly, eyebrows raised in question.

 

“Uh, yeah, like lovers or something,” Mark’s face turned red and it made Donghyuck want to pinch his cheeks.

 

“Okay then, lover boy,” Hyuck said, grinning, “How’re we gonna do this?”

 

\--

 

 

As the two boys walked around the party, waiting for their cue Donghyuck tried to pay attention to the little details that he had planned. Even though he knew he was doing a bad thing, it still kinda thrilled him to see his own ideas coming to fruition.

 

Doyoung, waiting patiently by the table closest to the door, chatting with some girl beside him, waiting for a text from Jaehyun to leave. Jungwoo, sticking close by Sicheng’s side to distract him from any signs of trouble. And the occasional buzzing in his pocket, which he knew was from Taeil, recounting from the van what was going on behind the scenes. Donghyuck didn’t dare check the updates with Mark beside him, knowing the other boy’s tendency to glance over his shoulder when he had his phone out.

 

Even though he knew how this night would end, and how he’d be losing one of the only people he’d ever cared about, he still felt the thrill of pulling off his own first heist. Sure, it was originally planned by Sicheng, but pulling off a sabotage against one of the scariest criminals in the country was almost better in a way.

 

Donghyuck glanced over at Mark, his mask pulled up almost like a beanie on his head and took a moment to admire the boy. His caramel hair was pushed back but messy, and the dark coal around his eyes made his soft features more striking against the gleaming lights of the party. Hyuck’s eyes wandered down to his lips and he wondered what would’ve happened if they had kissed earlier that night, what it would’ve felt like.

 

He thought that Mark would be a good kisser. He’d be soft and slow and if earlier was any indication, he’d let his hands roam over Hyuck’s body instinctually. The way he had pushed him against the wall and leaned into him almost felt like a strange fever dream that could never happen in reality, and Hyuck almost wished he had leaned up and closed the space between them.  

 

Hyuck shook his head to clear his thoughts, feeling the dread starting to creep in. He couldn’t let his stupid monkey brain get muddled in the middle of a heist, that would be a rookie mistake. But a lot of things had changed for him when he met Mark. He’d never considered ever putting someone before himself, and he’d thought about bringing the operation down multiple times for Mark. He couldn’t let that happen, as much as he adored him.

 

“Look,” Mark murmured, at the same time Hyuck’s phone buzzed again. He was tilting his head towards Yuta, who was standing quietly by the entrance to a hallway. The same hallway they could see Taeyong slipping down and disappearing into.

 

“It’s almost time,” Mark whispered into Hyuck’s ear. It made him shiver, and he pulled himself away from Mark for a moment.

 

“Okay, before this all starts, I’m gonna hit the bathroom,” Hyuck said, taking a small step back from Mark.

 

“Uh, okay?” Mark replied, his face confused.

 

“I’ll be right back,” Hyuck mumbled, pitching forward to leave a peck on Mark’s cheek for the second time that night before retreating. Go big or go home right?

 

As soon as Hyuck slammed the bathroom door closed, he pulled out his phone, checking the messages from Taeil.

 

**_Message from Taeil:_ **

_The plan’s a go, van’s right outside and completely unlocked. After the distraction everyone needs to bolt. Get out quickly and quietly._

Donghyuck sucked in a breath and tried to calm himself down. It was gonna be okay. They were gonna get the money and get in the van and go. They’d be on a plane to another country in no time and away from it all.

 

And Mark would be gone.

 

Hyuck heaved in another deep breath and slipped his phone back into his jacket pocket. He was gonna do this, and it was gonna be okay. He’d be okay. He had to be.

 

And as he opened the door and stepped back into the gleaming party, he remembered the broken promise he had made to himself. Never let anyone back into your life, and never let yourself care about someone the way you used to care. But as Hyuck walked into the light and saw Mark’s smiling face, he knew he didn’t care about that promise anymore, not if it meant he couldn’t keep the memories he’d made with Mark.

 

Even if he never saw him again, he knew that he’d love Mark till the day he died.

 

\--

 

 

Hyuck and Mark made their way to the edge of the dance floor after receiving a cold nod from Johnny. It was time.

 

They’d agreed to make it personal, and Hyuck knew it might kind of hurt. They were gonna make shit up off the top of their heads since the original plan wasn’t going to work this time around. They could’ve tried it, but logically they both knew it wouldn’t work, they needed something crazy to get a rise out of people.

 

“You ready?” Mark whispered. Donghyuck just swallowed and nodded. Mark’s hand came up to caress his face for just a moment before his expression changed from one of soft compassion to annoyance.

 

Hyuck knew they needed it to be juicy for people to notice. Still, Donghyuck wasn’t expecting the words that left Mark to be as personal as they were.

 

“You’re such a fucking tease, you know that?” The words were simple enough, and not too loud but out of the corner of his eyes he saw one or two people glance over. Under normal circumstances a phrase like that would be fun and playful but the venom in Mark’s voice made Donghyuck wince.

 

“I’m not a tease,” Hyuck responded, “I’m just friendly.”

 

“Friendly, huh? Then why the fuck did I see you kissing some other bitch behind the hedges earlier?” Donghyuck tried to fight a smile as he realized where this was going. So he was a cheater, huh? Classic.

 

“I don’t know what the fuck you’re on about you crazy dick, I’ve just been enjoying the party, that’s all.”

 

“BULLSHIT!” Mark snarled, catching the eyes of the people directly around them. They were starting to back away, eyes trained on them like it was some drama on TV.

 

“You don’t get to call bullshit on me while you’ve probably been off fucking every other man here!” Hyuck yelled back, shoving Mark’s chest. Mark’s eyes flashed with humor for a millisecond before he brought himself back to the angry persona he had created.

 

“Oh sure, I’m always the bad guy right? It’s not like I always take you out, and buy you everything and get paid in return with stupid wise cracks and rejections!” That one stung a little bit. Did he think earlier was a rejection? In a way it kinda was, but Hyuck wanted him, he though Mark knew he wanted him.

 

“What the FUCK is that supposed to mean? I don’t ever reject you, you pompous asshole!” Another shove to his chest, “I’ve been practically BEGGING you to give it to me since the first time we MET! It’s not my fault you’re a fucking pussy!”

 

Mark paused for a moment, picking up someone’s champagne left on the table and taking a swig of it before flinging it to the ground and shattering it. Donghyuck jumped from the sound and then took the opportunity to smack Mark hard against the shoulder.

 

“See? Maybe if you’d act more like this, I’d actually wanna fuck you, you cunt! No more of this goody two shoes shit! I’m sick and tired of everything being MY fault! It’s MY fault we’re late! It’s MY fault you didn’t get the role! It’s even my fault that I don’t want you to touch me, right? You don’t ever act like you want me! What the fuck am I supposed to think!” Hyuck screeched. By this time everyone in the main room had their eyes on them. The music was still playing but the voices had dropped to a quiet murmur as they all watched in rapt horror at the fight.

 

“You really think that I don’t want you?” Mark hissed, “Why the fuck do you think I give a fuck about every other guy to talk to you, huh? You’re the only one I want to be with! I’ve only ever wanted you Haechannie!” Mark’s voice was rough but there was an underlying tone of affection hidden beneath the surface. Hyuck wasn’t sure if if was just an act or not.

 

“Then why don’t you fucking PROVE it asshole! I’m here tonight trying to look sexy for you and all I’ve gotten is ice cold stares and backhand comments! If you want me SO fucking bad why don’t you DO something about it?” Hyuck was trying to stay in character but it was getting hard to stay on track when Mark was slowly stalking towards him, backing him into the middle of the dance floor, hands reaching up to grab the lapels of his jacket and reel him in.

 

“You really want me to do something about it?” Mark hissed angrily, hands shaking him aggressively by his coat.

 

“Yeah, you fucking pussy, it’d be a change from the fuck-all you normally do!”

 

“Well, you know what? I don’t have to do shit, and I definitely don’t have to listen to your bullshit, pathetic pleas. You fuckin make me sick!” From the corner of his eye, Donghyuck could see Taeyong lurking back from the shadows. He was out of time.

 

“You know what?” Hyuck said, shoving Mark’s hands off him.

 

“What?”

 

“Fuck you.”

 

Donghyuck’s body just took over, threading his hands into Mark’s hair and pulling his lips in for a kiss. Their mouths connected and Donghyuck knew that Mark hadn’t been expecting this. He gasped into Hyuck’s mouth but immediately responded, wrapping his hands around his waist and letting the younger boy lick open the seam of his mouth. Hyuck was right, Mark was a good kisser.

 

But Hyuck had literal seconds before his plan flew right out the window, and with extreme effort he pulled himself away from Mark, seeing the starry look in his eyes for a brief moment before he raised his hand and smacked him across the face.

 

Mark’s body flew to the floor, not expecting the slap and Donghyuck retreated, yelling one last “and never fucking talk to me again,” as he stormed out the doors of the mansion. He didn’t look back, he didn’t know if he’d be able to leave him behind if he did.

 

\--

 

As Hyuck hopped in the van, he could hear the sirens blaring in the distance, and he watched out the window of the car as Mark burst from the front door. He could see the look of confusion and then pure betrayal bloom on his face as the van pulled away.

 

Yuta came dashing up from behind him, yelling something like “you assholes!” as the car sped down the drive.

 

Donghyuck couldn’t care less though. His eyes were trained on Mark’s defeated face as he stood completely still, watching Donghyuck leave him behind. He wished that their last moments weren’t some stupid pretend fight and that he could’ve told him how he felt before everything had gone to shit.

 

The van pulled out of the drive and Donghyuck let himself savor one last fleeting glance of the only boy he’d ever loved before the mansion was gone.

 

The other guys were cheering, popping a bottle of champagne and blasting some song that Jaehyun had picked especially for the event. But Donghyuck couldn’t be happy, not now. The police cars sped past them and Hyuck felt like he was going to be sick.

 

He leaned his head against the cool glass of the van and just breathed, trying not to cry in front of the group of boys.

 

“You really gave us a scare back there Hyuck, we almost had to leave without you!” Doyoung said, an arm coming up to weave around Hyuck’s shoulders.

 

“Yeah,” Hyuck replied dully.

 

“What’s up dude? You did it! You pulled off the heist! What could possibly have you down at a time like this?” Jungwoo asked, his face broken out into an incredible smile.

 

“It’s nothing. I’m fine.”


	12. The Epilogue

**_ Epilogue: 8 months later _ **

**__ **

It was a sunny day.

 

It had taken Mark almost a month to track Donghyuck down. After he was released from prison back in Korea he made it his mission to find Donghyuck and make sure he paid. The others were still locked up, and they’d remain locked up for the foreseeable future, but Mark had been lucky. There was no evidence found when they had searched the warehouse for his involvement. There were rarely any official records kept for the distractors, they were the least important people in the job, the ones with the least amount of thought put into them. Maybe that was Sicheng’s downfall.

 

Mark had remembered how he had felt that fateful night 8 months ago when Donghyuck had thrown him to the curb like he was nothing.

 

Donghyuck had grabbed him and kissed him like he meant it. Like the job, and the party and the whole world didn’t matter in that moment. And for a brief second Mark could see their future together. And then Hyuck had pulled away and before he knew it he was gone.

 

Mark had watched as Hyuck climbed in the van and pulled the door shut. And he felt confusion for a brief moment before his heart dropped. He was leaving them. It had been a setup all along. The kiss, the times they spent together, and all the soft touches had meant nothing to Hyuck in the end. All that mattered was the money and the revenge.

 

The way the police had shoved him to the ground, handcuffed him and hauled him off to the station all hurt less than the way his heart shattered as he watched the van pull out of the drive. The 7 months he spent eating shitty prison food and enduring weekly beatings was less painful than the thought that Donghyuck had left him behind to rot.

 

Which is why, a month after his release, Mark was standing on a sunny beach in Rio De Janeiro, looking up at a house nuzzled in a shady and secluded area of the beach. It hadn’t taken too much time to figure out where Donghyuck would escape to, and even less time to find a house under the alias of ‘Dong Sicheng.’  It was comical really. If the police ever came for them here the house would be registered under the name of the man who started it all, and he’d be even more incriminated than he already was.

 

Mark took in a deep breath, and walked towards the house, his feet slipping against the sand. He had nothing on him, and he wasn’t really sure what his plan was. Was he going to attack Donghyuck? Try to kill him? Who knew. All Mark really, truly wanted, was answers. And if he had to beat them out of Hyuck, then so be it. He figured he would do the same to Mark.

 

As Mark approached the house he could make out an umbrella and a beach chair, along with someone in it, basking in the warm tropical sun.

 

Donghyuck.

 

Mark was stopped in his tracks for a moment, his heart caught somewhere between deep hurt and yearning. Even after months of time spent in prison he still couldn’t wipe away the desire he had for Hyuck. He should hate him, he should want to kill him. But why then, was his heart calling out for him even now?

 

Hyuck stretched for a moment and Mark caught a glimpse of his honey tanned skin from beneath his white tee and his stomach twisted. He was so beautiful. His hair was dyed a soft brown color and Mark could see a contented smile reach his lips as he curled into himself. How could he hate him? The thought of hurting him just made Mark even sadder than he already was, and he wondered if coming all this way was pointless.

 

It was clear that he couldn’t hurt him. And it was also clear that Donghyuck didn’t care about him the way that he wanted him to.

 

So then, what was the point of flying all the way to Rio?

 

Maybe it was worth it just to see him one last time. Even if he didn’t even see him, didn’t know he was there. It was worth it to have a glimpse of the boy one last time.

 

“Okay,” Mark whispered to himself, “It’s over.”

 

“What’s over?”

 

Mark’s blood ran cold.

 

He whipped around to see Jaehyun and Doyoung standing behind him. Arms crossed and faces stone cold. Fuck.

 

“Nothing, I’m just- I’m leaving,” Mark stuttered out, eyes wide with fear as he tried to make a break for it. But it was useless. Jaehyun grabbed onto his collar and yanked him back, pulling him into a choke hold.

 

“I don’t think he’s leaving, do you Doyoung?” Jaehyun said, a smirk evident in his voice.

 

“Oh, no. He’s not going anywhere,” Doyoung chirped happily, “besides, you know Donghyuck will be so excited to see him.”

 

“That he will.”

 

And with a jerky shove, Jaehyun let him go and escorted him into the beach house.

 

Mark watched Donghyuck’s immovable body as he passed by him quietly. He wished he would’ve never come. Not because of the headlock, or his impending doom, but because he knew he’d have to face Hyuck now. And he wasn’t sure if he was ready for his heart to be shattered again.

 

\--

 

Jaehyun had sat Mark down in a chair facing a huge desk and window that overlooked the sea. He had tied up his hands and told him with a bright smile that Donghyuck would be right in.

 

And so Mark waited with bated breath for his- well. Whatever Donghyuck had been to him, to enter.

 

It was only about ten minutes before the door quietly opened and Mark closed his eyes. He didn’t know what to think or what to do. His brain to mouth filter was broken and he didn’t know what was going to happen, what he’d even say. What was he supposed to say? Like,“Hey Donghyuck I came here to kill you but then I saw you basking by the sea and realized I was still in love with you so I decided to leave but then Jaehyun caught me and forced me to have this weird conversation with you, also by the way, can you not kill me please?”

 

This was going to be a disaster.

 

“Mark.”

 

The voice brought back memories of windy roofs and hurried kisses, and it pierced Mark like a blade. He kept his eyes shut.

 

“Mark, please.”

 

He kept his eyes closed, though he voice sounded closer.

 

“Mark open your eyes, I’m not gonna hurt you.”

 

His voice was pleading and even though Mark wasn’t sure if he was ready for it, he slowly opened his eyes and let them adjust to the light.

 

He couldn’t see anything at first but he heard Hyuck’s sigh of relief. As his eyes adjusted he realized Hyuck was kneeling in front of him, hands gripping the legs of his chair, eyes slightly rimmed red.

 

Neither of them said anything for a moment. They just looked at each other, a sort of wonder in their eyes. Neither had really expected to see each other again, and it was a shock to be so close, but so far. Donghyuck cleared his throat.

 

“I’m gonna untie you okay?” Mark nodded slowly, “Please don’t run.” Mark nodded again, not trusting his voice at the moment.

 

Donghyuck carefully unwrapped the ropes from Mark’s wrists and everywhere their skin met, Mark felt electricity. He didn’t know if it was because he felt burned or because he was thrilled to be near Hyuck again. His feelings were all over the place. He just wanted answers.

 

Hyuck didn’t move for a moment, staring up at Mark’s face for a little too long before he realized what he was doing.

 

“So,” Hyuck stood up, hopping up on his desk, “I guess you want an explanation, right? Or to kill me. I guess both are valid.”

 

Mark let out a stilted laugh, he couldn’t help it. Even now, with things so fucked up and ridiculous, Donghyuck found a way to make the situation a bit more lighthearted. That how it had always been, and Mark thought that was part of the reason he fell for him in the first place.

 

“Yeah, answers would be great,” Mark said, a small smile lifting at the edges of his mouth.

 

“Well, I guess I should start from the beginning.”

 

\--

 

“I planned everything,” Hyuck began, “Even before Sicheng had decided to call me up for the heist.”

 

Mark’s eyebrows pulled together. This had been his plan the whole time?

 

“Basically I had decided that Sicheng needed to be taken out of the picture and that he would only end up causing people more and more pain. He surrounded himself with terrible people who not only were criminals, but those who used their strength to terrorize others. Especially in the operation.” Hyuck continued, turning around to stare out the window.

 

“Like Yuta and Johnny?” Mark said hesitantly.

 

“Yes!” Hyuck turned around and pointed at Mark.

 

“Sicheng didn’t care about anyone or anything, and if you got in his way, he’d kill you. Hell, he’d kill you if you breathed wrong in his presence. He was worse than a criminal, he was a murderer.”

 

“So I decided to put an end to it.” He said determinedly.

 

“You plotted to get him arrested.” Mark said, matter-of-factly.

 

“Exactly. I came up with a plan to recruit people from within the job to help me take him down. I knew that people were just as fed up and terrified of Sicheng as I was and I knew that I’d easily be able to coerce people to bring him down with me.”

 

Mark watched as Hyuck turned away again to stare out his huge window overlooking the beach front. He went silent for a moment, caught up in his thoughts before he spoke again.

 

“So I waited. I waited for the phone call from Sicheng, since I knew he’d be calling soon. The last I’d heard was that he was working on a plan for a new heist and that meant he’d be calling within a couple of months.”

 

“Finally he did, and when we all met up as a group I looked around at all the other faces that I knew and I drew up an idea. I would convince Doyoung first since I knew he’d be willing to help me get rid of Sicheng, and after that I expected that Doyoung would recommend Taeil. I knew Doyoung would realize soon enough that two of us couldn’t do it on our own, and he’d pick Taeil to help. The only person on the team who had zero ties to anybody.”

 

“After that, I made sure to have our meetings together in a public place, partially so Sicheng wouldn’t be able to hear us discuss matters, and partially because I knew that Jaehyun enjoyed frequenting the specific coffee shop that I chose.”

 

The pieces were starting to form more coherently in Mark’s head, and he couldn’t believe that he hadn’t noticed it before. He knew Hyuck was smart, too smart sometimes for his own good. But nobody else truly expected this level of intelligence to come from him. They all underestimated him, and that was why Hyuck knew that he’d be able to rob a robber, undetected.

 

“After Jaehyun overheard us one day, he and Jungwoo joined, and because of the mutual hatred we shared for Sicheng, we all bonded. They weren’t in it for the money anymore, they had friends who understood them and they wanted a chance to get even with Sicheng.”

 

“They were more motivated because they had people to be motivated with. It wasn’t just a cold heartless operation anymore,” Mark spoke aloud, watching as Hyuck nodded at him with a small smile on his face.

 

“They didn’t feel so alone anymore, and even though I had planned this to be all for the money and the revenge, it was nice to see people gaining new relationships like that, ya know?” Hyuck said, losing himself in his own thoughts again. Mark watched thoughtfully as Donghyuck sat in silence again, seemingly recounting everything that had happened.

 

“And then?” Mark asked after a moment.

 

“Oh. Yeah,” Hyuck shook his head and began again.

 

“After that we just solidified our plan and everything ran as normal. We went to Soo-man’s house, we robbed him, and we took off to the airport to get the hell out,” Hyuck said shrugging as if that was all there was to it. Mark’s heart clinched at his conversational tone. It sounded like nothing had ever really mattered to him, not the new friends he made, not the lives he ruined, and especially not Mark.

 

“So that was it? You were in it for the money? There’s no more to the great Lee Donghyuck than this- this shallow outer shell?” Mark’s mouth opened and spoke before he had the chance to stop himself, standing up angrily. Maybe he shouldn’t pick a fight with the man who held his life in his hands, but he couldn’t help it. He was hurt.

 

Donghyuck’s face went stricken for a moment before he turned around and slipped off the desk, stepping closer to Mark.

 

“No, no not at all,” Hyuck breathed, and Mark could see the tears starting to form in his eyes. He wanted to wipe them away, but he kept his hands by his side.

 

“Then what is the point of you?” Mark whispered. Donghyuck sucked in a shaky breath and raised his hand as if to touch Mark’s face. But he thought better of it and dropped his hand.

 

“I- I never got to finish my story,” Hyuck said, backing away and trying to casually wipe at his eyes.

 

“Then finish it,” Mark muttered angrily.

 

“I’ve always been able to see things way in advance. I can always see what’ll happen and the consequences of every action I make, and I expect every single thing that someone will do,” Hyuck said, his voice quiet.

 

“But you. I never expected you.”

 

Mark’s eyes, which were focused on the carpet by his feet snapped up to meet Donghyuck’s eyes.

 

“Me?”

 

“Yeah, you,” Hyuck smiled a grim smile. He stopped for a moment and reached out slowly to grasp Mark’s hands in his own. And Mark would be lying if he said he hadn’t missed the other boy’s hands fitting so nicely into his own. If the room wasn’t so inundated with tension Mark might’ve blushed.

 

“I had seen you that first day, and you were the only person I hadn’t met yet, so I didn’t think much about you until you started to talk to me,” Hyuck smiled, “You started out as just some kid who’d get caught in my crossfire but you ended up meaning- meaning so much to me.”

 

Mark’s eyes searched Hyuck’s own for any sign of deception. Because as much as Hyuck had lied to him, he had come to know the boy better than he probably knew himself.

 

“I had sworn to myself that after my mother’s death that I’d never let myself care about anyone ever again. No matter what happened, I’d be alone, and I’d stay alone, because I’d never let myself get hurt again. Not if I could help it.” Hyuck’s thumbs were rubbing circles into Mark’s hands and Mark instinctually felt himself step closer.

 

“But then you came along. And I tried to hard to keep things between us stupid, and lighthearted,” Hyuck said, “but then you were holding me and comforting me, and telling me that’d you stay with me, and it was too late. Before I knew it you and your dumb dimples were etched into my heart like I was living in some melodramatic drama.”

 

“Hyuck…” Mark breathed out, watching as the tears Donghyuck had held back before slipped down his face.

 

“And I tried, so many times to think of a way to get you out of the job and to take you away because I wanted to be selfish, and I didn’t want to lose you. But I knew that no matter what plan I could come up with either we all ended up in jail or dead. And I couldn’t just leave the rest of the guys to perish just because I didn’t want to suffer!”

 

“Donghyuck-“

 

“So I just,” his voice cracked and his hands moved up to grasp at Mark’s arms, “I just left you behind. And I tried to act like I was okay, that leaving you behind didn’t completely break me, but it did.” Mark’s hand came up to grab Hyuck’s face and even though he wasn’t sure where they stood, it broke his heart to see the other crying so desperately, heaving in breaths in-between sobs.  

 

“And I wish that I could say that I regret meeting you, that I regret letting myself fall for you, but I don’t! I could never regret you Mark Lee because you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I love you,” Donghyuck was still crying, his words pouring out almost hysterically as he willed himself not to crash into the other’s arms. Donghyuck didn’t deserve sympathy, especially from Mark.

 

“You love me?” Mark whispered, dazed. His other hand coming up to cradle Donghyuck’s face softly.

 

“I-“

 

But before Donghyuck could get any words out Mark pulled him in and connected their lips sweetly. Mark smiled into the kiss as he felt Hyuck hiccup. He wrapped his arms around his hips and slowly felt Donghyuck’s arms come up to settle around his neck, pulling him in deeper as if he’d disappear at any moment.

 

They stayed like that for a few moments, mouths moving hesitantly against each other as they found a way to forgive. Mark could feel the silent desperation thrumming through Donghyuck and he pulled him even closer as if to tell him that he wasn’t going anywhere, not again.

 

They broke apart after what seemed like two seconds but in reality, was probably a few minutes. Their lips were swollen and Mark watched Hyuck’s eyes flutter open and immediately glance down at his lips and back to his eyes, staring in wonder.

 

“I love you,” Mark said simply, bringing a hand up to move Hyuck’s hair out of his eyes. And he smiled softly as he watched Hyuck turn red.

 

“How? I betrayed you, and I got you sent to jail. I left you behind without ever telling you how I felt, you should hate me,” Donghyuck whispered, the insecurity flooding back into his eyes. He tried to pull away but Mark kept his hands rigid, keeping him close.

 

“Maybe you’re right,” Mark said, and Donghyuck’s face dropped in fear, “maybe I should hate you. But I can’t. No matter how much I’ve tried over these last few months to hate you I couldn’t. Every time I tried to picture hurting you all my stupid brain could conjure up was the way your lips had felt on mine that night and how much I missed your sarcastic jokes.”

 

Mark brought one of his hands up to wind itself in Hyuck’s hair.

 

“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to hate you because over the span of three months you made me fall so ridiculously hard for you that even sending me to jail couldn’t make me stop loving you,” Mark smiled as Donghyuck let out a shaky laugh.

 

“You’re outrageous and unreasonable, and you make me wanna pull my hair out sometimes, but,” Mark took a deep breath in, “I meant it when I told you that I would always be here. No matter what, Hyuck, I’ll always be here.”

 

Donghyuck’s eyes sparkled for a moment before he pulled the other boy back in and reconnected their lips. And maybe, Donghyuck thought, he wasn’t the real thief. Mark had stolen his heart, and for once, he didn’t want it back.

 

\--

 

“So,” Donghyuck began, his voice sounding awfully scheme-y, “I had a new idea for a heist.”

 

After a lot of talking (and kissing) Mark and Hyuck had migrated to Hyuck’s room, where they laid, bodies curled into each other. They had decided that since Mark had nowhere to really go, that he could stay there, and if Mark had any protests at all, he wasn’t voicing them. Besides, seven months of jail really made you crave a warm bed and Rio was plenty warm enough (and so was Donghyuck).

 

“Ooooh no,” Mark complained trying to detach himself from Hyuck’s grip, “there’s no way in hell I’m working with you again!”

 

“But Markie,” he whined, trying to clutch at Mark’s shirt to pull him back down, “you’re the perfect man for the job!”

 

“I spent seven months in prison because of you, what makes you think I’m going to work another job with you?”

 

“Mark, we’ve been making out for like three hours non-stop,”

 

“So? That doesn’t mean anything!”

 

“Oh yeah?”

 

Donghyuck pulled Mark down forcefully, connecting their lips and licking into Mark’s mouth. It took him by surprise and Mark felt himself instinctually moan as the other boy tugged at his hair. After a few minutes of this Mark’s neck started to hurt from the angle and he climbed on top of Hyuck, pulling away, only to reattach his lips to the younger boy’s neck.

 

The whimper that came from Donghyuck gave Mark shivers and he kept biting at his skin, pulling away after a moment and admiring the way his neck was beginning to purple with hickies.

 

“You done?” Hyuck gasped out, hands coming up to shove at Mark’s chest.

 

Mark laughed and replied “for now.”

 

They lied in silence for a moment, breathing heavily before Donghyuck sat back up and looked over at Mark, his face in his hand, elbow resting on the pillow beneath him.

 

“So, you’re really gonna tell me that you’re not gonna help me with this job after you just bit the fuck out of my neck? You OWE me lover boy,” Hyuck said, pointing at his neck.

 

“Just because I like kissing you doesn’t mean I’m going to help you with a heist, Hyuckie,” Mark laughed.

 

“Oh you’ll help me.”

 

“Says who?”

 

“Says the documents I keep in a vault detailing your whole involvement with the Soo-man heist,” Hyuck flashed a brilliant smile at Mark and he felt his eyes go wide.

 

“Fuck,” Mark breathed out, “Please tell me you’re not serious.”

 

“Oh I am, serious as a heartbeat,” Hyuck leaned in, lips brushing against Mark’s own.

 

“You wouldn’t,” Mark started to feel his heart pound. Had he made a mistake? Did Hyuck ever actually love him? Or was he using him just to work a job? Had mark really let himself fall for someone’s empty lies again or-

 

“Oh my GOD, stop thinking so hard I can hear your panic from here!” Hyuck laughed, plopping a short kiss onto his lips. “I was just joking you absolute moron, I had all the papers with your name in them destroyed before we had ever even left for the party!”

 

Mark let out a crazed laugh and rolled over, taking Donghyuck into his arms.

 

“I fucking hate you Lee Donghyuck,” Mark whined against his honey gold skin.

 

“And I love you.”

 

“Do you?” Mark said, eyebrows raised. Donghyuck rolled his eyes at his sarcastic tone and reached up to curl his hands around Mark’s neck.

 

“Yeah, you got a problem with that?”

 

“Nah, turns out I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much if you made it to the end! I really hope if you made it all this way that you enjoyed this stupid unedited story that entered my brain and decided to sit there till I put it into words!


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